Chemistry is an important subject for Classical education (at least from the humble perspective of the Chemistry teacher)! We integrate science, mathematics, history and logic using a variety of classroom techniques. One of the favorite learning methods of students and teachers is laboratory experiments. Our first experiment – performed this week – introduced considerations for lab safety, measurement and uncertainty, and how to follow and describe procedures. That may not sound like much fun, but determining the percentage of water content in different brands of popcorn is an easy, fun, and helpful way to put into practice many of the concepts about scientific measurement and calculations the class has been learning. All the students showed excellent comprehension and compliance with lab safety as well – I told them to make the lab glasses and aprons look good and I think they managed it! In addition to the benefit to Chemistry, labs also cause the students in the following classes to long for the day when they too will get to be in Chemistry – especially when labs smell as good as this one did!